How this Ferrari 308 GT4 became an unexpected winner

Chris Dyer believes the Ferrari 308 GT4 has traditionally been overlooked. After a brush with one as a teenager, though, he became smitten for life.

“I was crossing a busy street,” Chris says. “I looked one direction and it was clear, and I began to walk out. I looked the other way and it was right in front of me. I saw the car from the back and I froze. 

“I was like, ‘What was that?!’ I was with a bunch of friends, so I had to be cool and keep walking,” he recalls. “I tried to read the name on the car, but it was hard to read. I didn’t know what it was, but it stuck in my mind ever since.”

After eventually finding out it was a Ferrari 308 GT4, he tried buying one via numerous websites, but he didn’t want to spend the kind of money being asked. Chris then went old-school: He paid a visit to his local Ferrari specialist. That person connected him with a customer who wanted to sell their 1975 model.

[Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 Buyer's Guide]

One problem: “The only thing I didn’t like was that it was red,” Chris explains. “I’m the last person who wants a red Ferrari. However, I couldn’t pass on it. The lowest price the seller could take was the highest I was willing to pay.”

Chris discovered that his new car was originally painted green, and he planned to restore it to the stock color–Verde Pino Metallizzato–in a couple of years. Well, he got some motivation to move up that timeline.

“For some reason, the light over the garage door wasn’t on,” he recalls. “I ended up scraping my Ferrari against the 4Runner parked in my driveway.” Oops.

Chris sent out his 308 GT4 to be repaired and repainted last January. He also reverted the Ferrari insignia to the original Dino emblems that came with car.

He picked up the freshly painted 308 GT4 a few days before the 2022 Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff. He quickly realized the effect of the new color.

“What I discovered is that I can barely get away from my car–people walk over and talk with me,” he says. “The green really catches their eye.”

It certainly does, especially in a sea of mostly red Italian sports cars. The car also caught the eye of the judges at the Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff presented by Hagerty, where it won best in show. Later that week, the car took home silver at the Concorso Italiano.

“I was surprised,” Chris admits. “I look at the car and see all the little things wrong with it. I’ve got to get those fixed–not because I care to win awards, but because I care about it being in good shape. Even if I didn’t show my car, I’d still be doing this.

“This car’s a passion for me, not a status symbol.”

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